England suffer crushing defeat in first Ashes test

Australia's cricket team (left) celebrates after winning the first Ashes cricket test match against England in Brisbane November 24, 2013. Mitchell Johnson took five for 42 as Australia dismissed England for 179 in the Brisbane twilight to comprehensively win the first Ashes test by 381 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series

England slipped to a dismal 381-run defeat to Australia in Brisbane as the hosts struck a powerful psychological blow early in the Ashes series.

Captain Alastair Cook's defiance extended to almost four and a half hours but it was nowhere near enough to redress a dramatic imbalance in this match which opened up when the tourists lost six first-innings wickets for nine runs as they failed to cope with the pace of Mitchell Johnson.

Cook (65) did his best to narrow the margin. But in pursuit of a notional world-record 561 to win, England could not stop their hosts converting their obvious supremacy into a landslide victory with more than a day to spare as another rush of four wickets for nine runs took hold on the fourth evening.

Johnson (five for 42) was again part of the rampage in England's 179 all out, and he took nine wickets in a match which he finished himself - with a simple caught-and-bowled - to end some late aggravation between the close fielders and last man James Anderson.